Friday, November 7

Changing weather & a KAL?

After a record-setting week of sunny and warm weather, a front is blowing in colder temps, rain, and a chance of snow. The trees have put on a spectacular show this fall with brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges. We're saying goodbye to them as gusty winds knock them from their branches.

Here are a couple of pictures I took on a frosty morning recently---a red maple leaf caught in a web of fennel fronds, and the tree next door in all its glory.

Our wood pellet stove will probably be lit this weekend as daytime temps drop into the low 40's and nightime to the 20s. {{Shiver}} After last winter, I'm in no hurry to see bad weather come again.

Currently on my needles are socks, slippers, and more shawls. I'm knitting a pair of toe up socks with Red Heart Heart & Sole sock yarn. I can usually get a pair of socks for me out of a ball of sock yarn. The RH only has 213 yards in it. I may have short cuffs on these socks unless I buy another skein. I started these socks with a rectangular toe. I like it. It may become a regular part of my socks. Since I've been knitting with the 5" Size 2/2.75 mm ChiaoGoo dpns, my sock knitting is faster. Though I have discovered that these needles are slimmer than the Crystal Palace Size 2/2.75 mm dpns. This is making my socks fit a little tighter.I found a free slipper pattern on Ravelry that I love. It's called the Dzonba slipper. Someone learned the pattern in India. They wrote it up and offered it as a free pattern download on Ravelry. The original is written for fingering weight yarn. I upsized it for worsted weight for thicker slippers. I knit them on size 8's with 100 yards of worsted weight yarn.

I'm still playing with the wing shawl shape. I've knit 4 so far. They're like potato chips, you can't knit just one. I've addicted several of my friends to it too. LOL! I've cast on for a 5th version in handspun and am adding an all over lace pattern to it.

One of the members of my Simply SimpleKnits group on Ravelry has posted a KAL for the Fire Bird Shawl. She's suggested a starting date of November 14. If you have time to tackle a quick and easy project, all you need to do is order the pattern and join the KAL. I'll be on hand to answer any questions and help if you run into problems. If you're already a member of Ravelry, here's a link to the group, if you'd like to join.

I've posted 56 more links to free patterns using 285 yards or less on my Rav group. It's much easier to do the linking there than it is here on my blog. One of these days I may get around to adding them to the list here.

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Triangle Shawl Patterns!

Check out the 271 free and purchased triangle shawl patterns to knit on the Triangle Shawl list. Patterns are listed by yardage and include links or information on where to find the patterns. Have fun!

Updated: December 7, 2009

What Can I Knit With 285 Yards or Less?

Don't know what to do with those yarn scraps or orphan skeins? Click HERE to find a pattern to knit. There are currently 653 free knitting patterns from the web on this list. Patterns are listed by yardage and are linked to the patterns. Have fun!